SECTION IV FOOTBALL: TIOGA RUNS OVER SVEC, 49-7 (24 PHOTOS) (2023-10-06)
By TIM BIRNEYValley Sports ReportTIOGA CENTER — Tioga scored on its first seven possessions, but it was the defense, said coach Nick Aiello, that propelled the Tigers to their 49-7 win over SVEC here Friday night in Section IV, Division V football action at Haggerty Field.
"Our defense, especially with the speed we have at the linebacker position, and in the secondary, it really compliments what we can do up front," said Aiello.
"The guys up front are doing their jobs," he noted. "To be a defensive linemen, especially for us on the interior, you can’t be greedy. You have do your job, and it makes the guys behind them look really good.
"It’s all really starting to come together.
"We had some really good weeks, too; going against Delhi, and going against Walton, where we had a lot go good moments, and a lot of good teaching moments," continued Aiello.
"The defensive line is really starting to understand their roles, and do their job very, very well," added Aiello. "We have a great rotation going on up front, and the guys behind them like Ousmane (Duncanson), Caden (Bellis), Drew (Macumber), Levi Bellis, and even Jonah (Lamb) and Brennan (Sindoni) working in, are doing a great job."
Tioga limited SVEC to 112 yards in total offense — 65 on the ground, and 47 through the air.
The win marks Tioga’s third straight over a state-ranked Class D team (SVEC entered the contest ranked 12th) and fifth overall during its 6-0 start.
Aiello acknowledges the impressive nature of his team’s start to the season, but is more impressed by their efforts at practice.
"I’m more pleased with the way these guys are working," he said. "I’m very pleased with the way the guys are working to get better, and they’re not getting complacent.
"I told them before the game, ‘don’t take any of this stuff for granted,’" noted Aiello. "We’re in the second half of the regular season … really we only have three more regular-season games, and one playoff game guaranteed.
"I really want that message to sink in. We’re in the back stretch now, and I really think they understand that, and that’s what I see at practice.
"Nobody else sees what these guys put in at practice," said Aiello. "I think Tioga shows up, and the mentality of the spectators is we show up and makie it happen, and that’s not true.
"These guys put in the work, and I’m very proud of them for that," added Aiello. "I just want the people to know how hard these guys work, no matter what they’re doing, and that’s why they deserve the success they’ve had."
The Tigers piled up 497 yards in total offense, including 382 yards on the ground.
"(SVEC) came out with some blitzes and looks they haven’t shown before," said Aiello. "We figure that’s what teams are going to do to us, so we work on that quite a bit.
"I thought the line made some really nice adjustments, and we were able to get the ball into our playmakers’ hands; and that’s always a good thing for us," he added,
Senior Caden Bellis led Tioga on the ground with 77 yards, and two TDs on five carries, while senior Evan Sickler had 67 yards and one TD on just two carries, junior Brennan Sindoni had 50 yards, and one TD on six carries, senior Drew Macumber had 47 yards, and one TD on four carries, senior Ousmane Duncanson had 33 yards and one TD on three carries, and senior Valentino Rossi had 30 yards on one carry.
Bellis completed 6 of 9 passes for 118 yards, and one TD. Rossi led Tioga with two catches for 48 yards, and one TD, senior Karson Sindoni had two grabs for 24 yards, and junior Shea Bailey had one reception for 58 yards.
After a SVEC three-and-out on its opening possession of the game, Tioga drove 54 yards on five plays to take an early 7-0 lead.
The key play on the drive 38-yard run by Bellis. Macumber capped the drive with a 5-yard TD run with 8:22 left in the first quarter. Senior Gavin Fisher’s PAT kick made it 7-0.
After another three-and-out, the Tigers took over at their own 39.
On the second play of the drive, Macumber broke loose down the visitor’s sidelines for a 33-yard gain to the Eagle 30.
After a 9-yard pass from Bellis to Karson Sindoni, SVEC’s Logan Aman sacked the Tioga QB for a 7-yard loss. On third-and-eight, Bellis kept the ball around right end, and scored from 28 yards out with 6:47 remaining in the half.
The Tiger defense forced another three-and-out, and Sickler put Tioga in scoring position with a 35-yard punt return to the SVEC 29.
After Bellis was sacked again, Tioga faced a third-and-16 at the 35. A 13-yard pass from Bellis to Sickler moved the ball to the SVEC 22, and on fourth down, Bellis took the ball off the right side of the line and raced untouched into the end zone on the last play of the first quarter to make it 21-0.
Following another SVEC three-and-out, Tioga took over at its 26.
On second-and-5, Rossi raced 30 yards around left end on a jet sweep, then hauled in a 40-yard TD pass from Bellis with 8:35 remaining in the first half. Fisher’s PAT kick made it 28-0.
It went from bad to worse for the Eagles, who fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and Tioga senior Austin Babcock pounced on it at the SVEC 33.
On the first play, senior fullback Ousmane Duncanson broke loose on a 33-yard TD run with 7:07 remaining to make it 35-0.
On its fifth possession of the game, SVEC picked up its initial first down, and ended up driving 71 yards on eight plays for a score.
Senior QB Jacek Teribury completed three passes to Jakobe Foster for 34 yards, and kept the drive alive with a fourth-down run for a first down.
After a pass interference penalty against the Tigers moved the ball to the Tioga 11, John Johnston broke a pair of tackles to bull his way into the end zone with 3:23 remaining in the first half. Andrea LoPresti’s PAT kick closed the gap to 35-7.
It didn’t take the Tigers long to answer. On the first play after the ensuing kickoff, Sickler took an option pitch, and raced 65 yards untouched down the home sidelines for a TD. Fisher’s kick made it 42-7 with 3:05 remaining.
Teribury returned the ensuing kickoff to midfield, but the Eagles went three-and-out and punted the ball away.
Tioga took over at its 26, and nearly found the end zone again before the intermission.
After an 11-yard completion to Rossi, Bellis found junior Shea Bailey open along the visitor’s sideline, and he raced 58 yards before being hauled down at the SVEC 5 as time expired.
The Tigers opened the second half with a 10-play, 55-yard scoring drive to finish the scoring.
Brennan Sindoni did the majority of the damage with five carries for 41 yards, including a 3-yard TD run with 6:34 left in the third quarter.Lamb had runs of 13 and 11 yards in the drive.
SVEC next possession ended with an interception by junior Lukas Nichols.
Tioga returns to action Saturday at Deposit-Hancock. The following week’s game — against Bainbridge-Guilford — has been moved to Thursday, Oct. 19 at 6 p.m. at Haggerty Field.
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IN PHOTO 1: Tioga’s Evan Sickler. … PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.
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